NATO Rejects No-Fly Zone Over Ukraine

NATO won’t establish a no-fly zone over Ukrainian airspace amid a full-scale invasion from Russian armed forces, the alliance announced Friday.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said during a press briefing that “allies agree that we should not have NATO planes operating over Ukrainian airspace or NATO troops on Ukrainian territory.” Stoltenberg said that the alliance was “not part of” the dispute between Russia and Ukraine, Reuters reported.

“We are not part of this conflict, and we have a responsibility to ensure it does not escalate and spread beyond Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said during the press conference.

NATO WARY OF RUSSIAN SABOTAGE AS UKRAINE-BOUND WEAPONS MOVE THROUGH EUROPE

“We understand the desperation, but we also believe that if we did that, we would end up with something that could lead to a full-fledged war in Europe involving much more countries and much more suffering,” he continued, speaking about the no-fly zone and what it might mean for other countries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked President Joe Biden and allies in the West to declare a “no-fly zone” over “significant” parts of Ukraine, but the Biden administration rejected Ukraine’s request on Monday, with White House press secretary Jen Psaki saying that it would “essentially mean the U.S. military would be shooting down planes, Russian planes.”

Zelensky again pressed for a no-fly zone on Thursday, saying it would be the “most important step” amid continued bombing from Russia, according to CNN.

“We want a no-fly zone because our people are being killed,” said Zelensky. “From Belarus, from Russia — these missiles, these Iskander missiles, and bomber planes, are coming.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Though no-fly zones have not been enacted, most major airlines announced they would be halting or redirecting flights to Ukraine. But at least one airline continued service following the invasion, as Air India carried a few hundred passengers out of Ukraine in late February.

Zelensky has also requested that Ukraine be given membership into the European Union and NATO as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to wage an invasion on the neighboring country by land, sea, and air.